Darwins The Origin of Species sent to publisher

April 5, 1859

ON this day, Charles Darwin, English naturalist and geologist, sent to his publishers the first three chapters of the book Origin of Species.

Darwin held off his theory of ‘evolution and natural selection’ for years as many scientist and researchers before him who had published radical theories were greatly criticised and many faced dire circumstances.

Therefore, when he developed the theory, he kept it a secret. It was only when another scientist started publishing papers having similar ideas that Darwin gave the book for publishing.

The book appeared in November 1859, and became one of the most influential books ever published.

First modern Olympic Games

April 6, 1896

THE Olympic Games restarted in Athens, 1,500 years after being banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I. At the opening of the Athens Games, King Georgios I of Greece and a crowd of 60,000 spectators welcomed athletes from 13 nations to the international competition.

The first recorded Olympic Games were held at Olympia in the Greek city-state of Elis in 776 BC, but it is generally accepted that the Olympics were at least 500 years old even at that time.

First colour 3-D film opens

April 10, 1953

ON this day, The House of Wax opened at New Yorks Paramount Theatre. Released by Warner Brothers, it was the first movie from a major motion-picture studio to be shot using the three-dimensional film process and one of the first horror films to be shot in colour.

The 3-D filming process involved using two cameras, or a single twin-lensed camera, to represent both the right and the left eye of the human viewer. Images from the two cameras were then projected simultaneously onto the screen. People could see The House of Wax through special stereoscopic glasses to see its full 3-D effect. The popularity of 3-D lasted only about a year in the US; its short life was blamed on the poor quality of the 3-D films produced.